'Swachh Space': India's Plan To Clean Up Its Orbital Trash By 2030

According to figures released by the government, India currently has 129 trackable debris objects in orbit originating from its space activities.

06 Nov 2026, 00:44 · NDTV

India has unveiled an ambitious "Swachh Space" vision that aims to make the country's space activities debris free by 2030. A Hyderabad-based startup has stepped forward to develop technologies that could one day clean up Earth's increasingly crowded orbits. It is estimated that over 100 million pieces of man-made junk float in space.

Announcing the goal of making space debris-free, Union Minister of State for Science Jitendra Singh said on November 5 that India is emerging among the early global pioneers in space debris removal and is advancing capabilities that will help make outer space safer and more sustainable. The vision is part of India's broader 'Debris Free Space Mission', or DFSM, which seeks to ensure that all Indian space actors, both government agencies and private companies, eliminate the creation of new orbital debris by 2030.

According to NASA, approximately 50,000 large, trackable objects orbit Earth, along with an estimated 100 million pieces of millimeter-sized orbital debris. The number of debris objects increases rapidly as size decreases, meaning the vast majority of orbital debris is too small to track routinely. As of August 2026, the US Space Surveillance Network had cataloged over 34,000 objects in Earth orbit, including active and defunct spacecraft, spent rocket bodies, fragmentation debris, and other cataloged debris.

India's announcement comes at a crucial time. Space is becoming congested by the day. Tens of thousands of satellites now circle the Earth, and the number is rising rapidly due to the deployment of mega constellations. Alongside these functioning spacecraft are millions of pieces of dangerous debris that can travel at speeds exceeding 25,000 kilometres per hour.

"India's emerging capabilities in active space debris removal reflect the country's growing global leadership in space technology and its commitment to ensuring a safe space environment for the entire humanity," said Jitendra Singh.

Though the challenge is global, India is increasingly positioning itself as part of the solution.

How Much Debris India Left In Space

According to figures released by the government, India currently has 129 trackable debris objects in orbit originating from its space activities. These include 23 defunct satellites in Low Earth Orbit, 26 inactive satellites in Geostationary Orbit, 47 spent rocket stages from PSLV, GSLV and LVM3 missions, and 33 debris fragments generated from the earlier breakup of a PSLV rocket body.

While these numbers are significant, they represent only a tiny fraction of the global debris population. International tracking databases indicate that the overwhelming majority of catalogued orbital debris originates from the United States and Russia, which together account for roughly 70 to 80 per cent of all tracked debris objects. Europe contributes around 10 per cent, China approximately 10 to 15 per cent depending on the category counted, while India's contribution remains well below 1 per cent of the global tracked debris inventory.

Yet India recognizes that even a small debris footprint can pose major risks. A single fragment the size of a bolt can cripple a satellite. Even paint flecks can cause damage because of their tremendous orbital velocities.

What ISRO Is Doing To Address The Problem

To address this challenge, ISRO has already embedded debris mitigation measures into mission planning. Fuel for post-mission disposal is now reserved during spacecraft design. Low Earth Orbit satellites are increasingly being lowered after mission completion so they burn up in Earth's atmosphere more quickly. Additional fuel margins are also being factored into launch vehicles and spacecraft during the earliest planning stages. Last month, India's twin SPaDeX satellites re-entered Earth and burnt out.

India is also collaborating with agencies including NASA, the European Space Agency and JAXA to strengthen global efforts on debris mitigation and space safety.

Perhaps the most exciting development is coming from the private sector.

Hyderabad-based start-up Cosmoserve Space has established a dedicated facility aimed at developing technologies for satellite servicing, debris removal and in-orbit logistics. The company believes the future space economy will increasingly depend on the ability to repair, refuel and remove satellites rather than simply launching new ones.

Space debris represents one of the biggest opportunities and challenges in the emerging space economy. Industry estimates suggest that nearly 10,000 of the roughly 28,000 satellites currently in orbit are dead or non-operational. Beyond these are an estimated 68,000 debris objects smaller than 10 centimetres, 1.5 million fragments measuring between one and two centimetres and nearly 230 million tiny pieces ranging from one millimetre to one centimetre.

Around 660 collisions and explosions have already occurred in space, generating nearly 58,000 tracked debris fragments.

Cosmoserve hopes to tackle the problem through what it calls Dual Spacecraft Architecture.

Instead of assigning one servicing vehicle to each satellite, the startup plans to deploy a larger Orbital Service Station that acts as a logistics hub carrying fuel, spare parts, and equipment. A smaller Autonomous Service Vehicle would then travel between satellites, performing inspections, repairs, docking operations, and potentially debris removal missions.

The company estimates that such an approach could reduce the cost of satellite servicing from around $10 million per satellite to less than $1 million.

"In our first year, we have flown our first payload on an Indian rocket, Vikram- 1, flown by Skyroot Aerospace, raised our seed round, and today we open a facility where we can design, build, test and fly our missions under one roof," said Chiranjeevi Phanindra, Founder and CEO of Cosmoserve Space.

"Debris is becoming the limiting factor for every nation's space ambitions, including India's. Base 1 the new facility by Cosmoserve at Hyderabad inaugurated today is where we build the capability to keep orbits usable, for Gaganyaan, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and every satellite that follows, he added."

The start up recently raised $6 million in seed funding, taking its total funding to more than $9 million. Investors see debris removal and satellite servicing as a major future industry, with the global market expected to reach $14.5 billion by 2030.

The technological groundwork for such missions is already being laid by ISRO. In 2025, the SpaDeX mission successfully demonstrated autonomous rendezvous, docking, and undocking capabilities. These technologies are essential prerequisites for future debris capture and servicing missions. ISRO also demonstrated a relocatable robotic arm and robotic manipulator aboard its orbital platform, another key building block for active debris removal.

Supporting all these efforts is ISRO's NETRA programme, India's dedicated Space Situational Awareness initiative. Approved for Rs 509.01 crore, NETRA serves as India's orbital surveillance shield. By February 2026, expenditure under the programme had reached Rs 67.77 crore.

The NETRA Space Situational Awareness Control Centre is already operational. It continuously monitors orbital conditions, predicts atmospheric re-entries, assesses collision risks and recommends avoidance manoeuvres to protect Indian satellites. Work is also progressing on indigenous phased array radar systems that will significantly enhance India's ability to detect and track multiple space objects.

A major role in these efforts is also being played by IS4OM, the ISRO System for Safe and Sustainable Space Operations Management, established in 2022. The organisation coordinates activities related to long term sustainability of outer space operations and supports startups through IN-SPACe in implementing debris mitigation measures.

The 'Starlink' Challenge And The Road Ahead

The urgency is only growing as mega constellations such as Starlink, OneWeb and other large satellite networks place thousands of spacecraft into orbit. While these systems provide valuable communications services, they also increase the complexity of orbital traffic management. Satellite failures, collisions and routine spacecraft disposals can all contribute to future debris generation if not carefully managed.

Against this backdrop, India's Swachh Space vision represents more than just a national goal. It is an attempt to ensure that the next era of space exploration remains sustainable. With ISRO building surveillance and mitigation capabilities and start ups such as Cosmoserve developing future clean up technologies, India is seeking to become not just a major space power, but also a custodian of the orbital environment on which the future of humanity increasingly depends.

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